Home

What’s important to teens?

April 23, 2008

An advance release of the Teen Topix study by OTX and the Intelligence Group finds that 81 percent of teens (13-17) say they are at least somewhat happy, and over a third are very happy, reports Mediapost.com. Teens report to be happiest with their relationships with friends, their talents, their abilities, and their school performance. And more than three quarters are happy about how they "look" Online. In recognizing the importance of their physical appearance, 61 percent of teens worry about their looks, and 48 percent compare the way they look with friends and peers. Half say looks and physical appearance are very important when it comes to being respected by others, says the report, but appearance is considerably less important in being liked by others, getting ahead in the workplace, and making lots of money. "Teens are an important consumer group... we have to look not just at what they buy... (but) what motivates them... their aspirations... (and) what makes them tick," says Bruce Friend, president, media and entertainment insights, OTX.Teens cited a number of positive influences on self image. Asked "when it comes to those things that influence how you feel about yourself would you say these usually make you feel better about yourself, worse about yourself or make no difference how you feel about yourself." When asked to choose from a pair of related, yet conflicting statements, Jane Buckingham, President of the Intelligence Group, reviewing the responses, notes that "The answers to our questions have surprised many in the marketing community and have caused them to rethink how they need to appeal to this demographic." When asked if they would rather get a college degree' or win American Idol, 90 percent selected college degree. And three quarters of the respondents would rather have friends than lots of money. Center for Media Research -- Teens